Chrysalis

Rassan'tep looked out over the assembled masses of insect monsters and tasted the air with his tongue. Across the bond he could feel the minds of his attendants stir with trepidation. They had not expected to see so many. In the lead of the insect formation an enormous specimen, larger than the kaarmodo even, stood to attention, it's gleaming carapace reflecting the light of the embers that fluttered through the air in this stratum. Altogether the sight was an impressive

[Lend me your eyes,] he commanded, [let us examine them together.]

The setsulah, led by Ammon'sil, pooled their thoughts, allowed their mana to flow together before they collectively wove their spell and brought it back, laying it over their eyes. With their senses overlaid, the kaarmodo accepted the stimuli they provided and fed his own back into the collective. Immediately each of them shifted in place as the ant army in front of them blazed with a richness of energy that they had not expected to see. More than that, there ebbs and flows that should not be. The big one at the front, there was something… odd. Rassan'tep concentrated hard and even then he could just barely grasp the edges of that strange eddy, a curious ripple in the fabric.

[Release.]

The spell was allowed to unravel and the seven of them contemplated what they had seen.

[Speak your thoughts,] he invited his bond servants. [Do not stand on ceremony.]

Ammon'sil spoke first, as was his right.

[There are more than we expected to see, and they are more highly evolved than anticipated. This force is not to be underestimated.]

[The tier six has a core bursting with energy. Should it evolve again, it may even develop to the mythic stage,] Rapsep, wife of Ammon spoke next.

next, the surprise

us to be a vastly superior force. It may be wise to consider retreat,] the youngest, Yuwan'sil

Rassan'tep rumbled, [I asked that you speak your thoughts,

did, Old One,] Ammon'sil

at this assessment, or ignore it even if that have. This is the brash attitude of the young and it should not surprise us. How can we expect them to know better? They have but a

kaarmodo considered

looked bizarre. Neither side moved. Not a muscle, or a twitch. The insects, as was their way, stood in perfect ranks, motionless, as if carved from stone. Likewise, the kaarmodo, with the patience born of their long lived nature and their reptilian ancestry did not stir, waiting and watching in

so we shall carry it out,] he

thoughts from the connection he shared with his bondservants and expanded a bridge out toward the other kaarmodo who quickly latched onto the mana weave.

of our opponent. They stand between us and the garden that we have been ordered to destroy and it does not appear as though they

given that this war party was formed of adolescents and young adults, the hierarchy wasn't

weak monsters shall be

can think to compete with

must obliterate them

some level of caution may be

female, was immediately piled in on as the